Seniors offered farm market discounts in Ontario County

Eligible senior citizens may start picking up coupon books next week to get fresh produce at participating area farmers' markets.

Each book comes with five $4 coupons seniors may exchange for eligible foods at farmers' markets, roadside stands and community-supported agriculture programs.

Ontario County has 820 books available this year, said Irene Coveny, director of the Ontario County Office for the Aging, which distributes the books under the the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program.

“It's been a very popular program in our county,” Coveny said. “It gives lower-income seniors an opportunity to get fresh fruits and vegetables, and I think it's also an opportunity for the farmers' markets to get additional business from people they might not otherwise serve.”

Eligible seniors must be at least 60 years old and confirm they are low-income based on income limits of up to $1,860 for a household of one; up to $2,504 for two people; and up to $3,149 for three people. Coupons may also be picked up by an eligible Power of Attorney with required proof.

Coveny said the program is to promote better health by getting fresh fruits and vegetables into the homes of seniors. She said sometimes seniors living alone end up eating food that is not very nutritious.

“Certain seniors are having a hard time paying for food,” Coveny said. “Food has become more expensive. Their fixed incomes aren't stretching as far, so anything we can do to help them is obviously for their benefit.”

David and Wanda Williams of Webster have been selling produce for years at the Victor Farmers' Market in the Victor Village Hall parking lot, one of nine participating Ontario County farmers' markets.

“I think it's a good program and I think it aids those who need it,” David Williams said, noting he has noticed a decline in the use of coupons in recent years.

The Senior Farmer's Market Nutrition Program awards grants to states, U.S. territories and federally recognized Indian tribal governments to provide the coupons. In upstate New York, the state Department of Agriculture and Markets distributes the coupons — or checks — through the county Offices for the Aging.

The coupons will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis beginning Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ontario County Office for the Aging, 3019 County Complex Drive, Hopewell, or on the following dates at the sites and times listed:

Summer in the Finger Lakes is the perfect season to enjoy the taste of ripe, just-harvested, locally grown fruit and vegetables. Discovering where to find them is easy with the 2017 Ontario County Local Food Guide, produced annually by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ontario County.

The guide provides an easy-to-use reference to farmers' markets and local farms with U-Pick, farm stands and community supported agriculture (CSAs) programs. It also includes specialty products like jams and mustards made in Ontario County and from farm vendors outside the county available at some of the local farmers' markets.

The guide includes 45 listings and is available for viewing and download on the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ontario County website at www.cceontario.org. It will also be available at Ontario County farmers markets while supplies last.